The Clarion-Ledger's Super 10 in 2017 will look a bit different from what many have grown accustomed to seeing.

Traditional Class 6A powers like South Panola, Oak Grove are lower on the list or did not even make it, respectively, while relative newcomers Pearl and Tupelo are both in the top 4 along with defending Class 5A state champion West Point. The Green Wave, in fact, is likely to be the only team in those top 4 with a recent, consistent history of championship contention.

The preseason rankings' new look should come as no surprise, given how the 2016 season turned out for Class 6A. South Panola fell in the first round of the playoffs, while neither Oak Grove nor Starkville made it to the postseason. Meanwhile, Pearl made it to the 6A state championship in its first year in a new classification, its first trip to a state title game since 1985. Tupelo tallied 12 wins before suffering its first defeat of 2016 in the second round of the 6A playoffs, marking only the second time since 1999 that the Golden Wave has earned more than 10 wins in a season.

The nagging question that arises is this: are we seeing a shift in the balance of power in Class 6A high school football, or was the wild 2016 season just an anomaly? Does 2016 mark a changing of the guard?

Yes and no, according to former South Panola coach Lange Pogue. Now the defensive coordinator at Jackson Academy, Pogue led the Tigers from 2007-16. In that time, he observed a shift in 6A that has resulted in greater parity of competition, with the 2016 season the most noticeable symptom of change that has been years in the making.

"I think those schools (Pearl, Tupelo, etc.) have put a major emphasis on wanting to have a championship-level football program," Pogue said. "You put some money in, hire top-notch coaches and that's a big thing.

"All these 6A teams are serious, and the talent level has improved. I think 6A right now is way better than it's ever been, and it's not a one-man show."

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South Panola Quarterback Patrick Shegog keeps the ball avoiding two tackles by the Warren Central Defensive Line at the first round of the 6A playoffs in South Panola Friday, November 11.(Photo: BILL BARKSDALE/FOR TO THE CLARIO)

In the cases of Pearl and Tupelo, the numbers over the last few seasons agree with Pogue. The Pirates and Golden Wave showed glimpses of what the teams they were becoming beginning in 2013, despite speed bumps along the way.

Tupelo's 13-2 season in 2013 was followed by a downturn in 2014 (8-4) and 2015 (6-6), but its regular season dominance in 2016 suggests that 2013 was no anomaly. And other than a 4-7 season in 2015, Pearl has earned at least 11 wins in each of the last four seasons.

With greater parity comes a much smaller margin for error. Teams that before could push past the injury bug, mental errors and other pitfalls now face opponents more able to capitalize on weaknesses. Being good is no longer enough — because now, everyone is good.

"You take last year," Pogue said. "We were 7-6 at South Panola, got beat in the first round. We lost five games by basically less than a touchdown — seven or eight points. We've won a lot of those games through the years, and it just didn't happen last year. But I give credit to the other teams. They were better. Then you take Starkville. It's unheard of not to make the playoffs in Starkville, so that just tells you how much better everybody else has gotten through the years."

Tupelo coach Trent Hammond points to improved coaching, in particular, as a major factor in the higher level of competition across Class 6A.

“It’s staffs with a lot of guys that could be successful head coaches at other schools," Hammond said. "It’s just the way the staffs are built. Like here (at Tupelo), I’ve got position coaches that have been coordinators at other schools. There was a time when some schools (in Class 6A) had 10 coaches or 13 coaches, and some had five. But now you have more programs that have 10 or more coaches now that can give the kids the kind of coaching that they’ll get at a Madison Central.”

While the trend toward parity in 6A over the last several years is notable, it may not be as much of a shakeup of the status quo as it appears. Oak Grove coach Drew Causey, whose Warriors earned a disappointing 5-7 record in 2016, takes a broader view of the trend as part of the natural ebb and flow of the game.

"I think it just depends on what you've got coming back and what everybody else has coming back," Causey said. "Last year we played a bunch of teams in our region that were senior-heavy teams, and we were a sophomore-heavy team. So it continues every year.

"You're going to have years like that, and you just hope you don't have too many of them."

Pogue echoed some of the same sentiments, adding that even the best teams can't be dominant forever.

"Some of that stuff just cycles around. That's part of it," he said. "I don't think, moving forward, there's going to be that one team that just dominates. I think it's leveled out some."

But whether 6A is experiencing a major shift or the changing landscape is simply part of a cycle — or both — the higher level of competition can only be a good thing not only for 6A, but for Mississippi high school football in general. Better competition makes for better teams, and better teams produce better players. And better players attract the notice of college coaches.

"I'm glad to see the competition level increase and having so much parity," Pogue said. "I think Mississippi football, from top to bottom, at every level, is better than it's ever been. The better the programs are, the better the kids are going to be, and I think all those things are positives. I think it's going to be good for everyone."